The Death of Batman
by Jenn11
Summary: How different people react to Batman's death. Requested additional POV's added.
1. Default Chapter

The Death of Batman A/N: This is my first Batman fic, so I hope you all like it. I make a couple references to events in the Batman/Superman comic book series that is currently running. Mostly just Hiro, the teenaged boy who Batman and Superman sent Robin and Superboy to recruit to work for Batman. Please let me know if you like the fic, or if you don't.  
  
ALFRED  
  
I suppose this is what they call fate. Fate, inevitable, but still surprising when it happens. I always knew this day would come. I am surprised it didn't come much sooner with the risks Batman, Bruce, took. But I am still surprised now that the day is here. The day Batman died.  
  
I've watched and worried for years. Watched Bruce don the Batman uniform and leave the Batcave. Worried that he would not return. Tonight he didn't .Tonight Oracle, Barbra, called to tell me the news. Called to tell me he had died. It was the most horrific sense of deja vu when she told me what had happened. That he'd been shot down in Crime Alley, by a mugger no less. That Leslie Tompkins was there.  
  
Leslie called later and gave me details. And I know that it is how Bruce would have wanted things to be. He'd saved a family, a girl and er parents, from the mugger. The child would not have to go through what young Bruce Wayne did. Yes, the child saw someone killed, but not her parents. Her parents will help her through the trauma. Bruce would be glad that he managed to save the parents this time. Even after all these years a part of him still blames himself for not saving his parents.  
  
SUPERMAN  
  
I've lost a lot of friends over the years, but this one hurts more than most. Hurts more than anything except losing my father. I always knew Bruce was human and could be killed just like anyone else, but he made it so easy to forget that. He'd fight along side us in the Justice League. He didn't have any "superpowers" like the rest of us did, but that never seemed to matter. He never seemed like he was . . . pardon the pun, but . . .out of his league.  
  
His will power was like none I've ever seen, in humans or metahumans. It almost seemed as if he would be able to keep himself alive by sheer will power. No matter that it isn't humanly possible to do that under certain circumstances. I've seen him do other things I didn't think were humanly possible.  
  
Sure we had our differences. Day and night, some would say. I think Bruce would have gone with Yin and Yang, light and dark. He'd spent time in the East and understood their philosophies. And he, as usual, would have been right. We were opposites in many ways, but that is what allowed us to be so effective together. We balanced each other. Our strengths and weaknesses making up for the other ones.  
  
Dick already told me about the plan Bruce had to keep people from realizing he was both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Not surprisingly it involves manipulating the situation, and is very clever. I'm sure it will work, his plans always seem to. I'm not surprised he had such a plan in place. He loved chess and always thought several moves ahead, in the game and in life. He was also always thinking of how to protect those he cared about. He couldn't protect his parents and made up for it by spending the rest of his life protecting others. There was really no reason to think that would end with his death.  
  
People are beginning to gather for the funeral. Everyone from the JLA and Teen Titans. The entire Gotham Police Department. Barbra, Oracle, is her as herself, at her father's side. The rest are in costume. Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, Huntress, and so many others. Then there are the people of Gotham. People he's helped. With my hearing I can listen to them talk. They tell each other what the Batman did to help them.  
  
*He saved me from being robbed.*  
  
*I would have been raped, maybe killed, except for him.*  
  
*He saved my son from being killed.*  
  
*He helped me turn my life around.*  
  
As the crowd grows there are so many stories that it's hard to hear many of the specifics. But the specifics don't really matter. The fact that he helped them does.  
  
Bruce always said that I was the hero. He thought of himself as a detective, a crime fighter. He didn't really consider himself a hero. But he was. He was. . .  
  
GORDEN  
  
I can't believe I'm standing here at Batman's funeral. A monument, in his memory, will soon be built here. He deserves that, that and so much more. Donations to pay for it have been flooding in. Money from people he has helped, has saved.  
  
I saw his body and it's still hard to believe he's dead. That he could be killed like the rest of us. With how much time he spent with Superheros it was easy to forget that he wasn't one. That he was just a man. Well, I don't guess Batman was 'just' anything. He was man I was proud to call my friend.  
  
It's a bit strange to think that he was one of the people I trusted the most, in some ways one of my closest friends, and don't even know what his face looks like. I don't even know his real name. But I know that those aren't the important things. I know who he is . . .was. He was a good man. A man who tried to protect others.  
  
Beside me Barbra seems very upset. More so that I would have expected. If I didn't have my suspicions that she may have been the original Batgirl, who disappeared the same time Barbra got shot by the Joker.  
  
There are many who want to look beneath that mask on Batman's face. No one has. No one will. I told the officers guarding the body that anyone who looks under that mask themselves, or lets someone else look under that mask, had better be sure it's worth their career. They also know that not only will they face my anger, but that of Nightwing and Robin. Probably even the anger of Superman, which no one wants to face. No one has looked under the mask. His secret will go with him to the grave. And that is as it should be. It is Batman we are honoring. It is Batman we are burying. That should not be eclipsed by the revelation of his identity.  
  
I hate to think what Gotham would be like now without him. I worry what it will become without him. But there is some hope. Nightwing and Robin came to see me last night. Said they'd take care of things. But as good as they are, as well as he trained them. . . they still aren't Batman.  
  
LESLIE TOMPKINS  
  
I was there when Batman began. When he was born you might say. I suppose then that it is fitting that I was there for the end. For his end. For his death. Full circle.  
  
It's sadly ironic that he died in Crime Alley. Killed by a bullet from a gun. The mugger was shaking so hard with fright that he totally missed where he was aiming. He was aiming at Batman's chest. He hit his head. The only vulnerable place on him. The only place, where a shot can be lethal, that isn't covered by Kevlar.  
  
Normally the man would never have gotten close enough to shoot him, but Bruce was focused on the family. The crook was running away. Batman had no idea the man would turn back and shoot, so he started making sure the family he'd just saved was alright.  
  
Yes, I was there to see Batman begin, and to see his end. I could wish otherwise. But perhaps he has now found some peace. He certainly never did in life. His life was pain, loss and conflict. Oh, there where happy times, but they never lasted. If one believes in Heaven, then I'm sure he is there now with his parents.  
  
DICK GREYSON  
  
I feel . . . I'm not sure how I feel. I can't believe he's gone. It seems so impossible. How can Batman be dead? Since the first time I saw him, even as Bruce Wayne, he's always seemed. . . larger than life, stronger than death.  
  
Right now I'm on a flight back from taking care of his last order. Not surprisingly that order was designed to protect me, Tim, Alfred and the others. Bruce's Wayne's personal jet just crashed into the ocean as he was returning from a personal vacation. No body will ever be found. Because he wasn't on the plane. I crashed it with a remote device on the Batplane. He died over a week ago in Gotham. But no one can know that. They can't know that Bruce and Batman are. . . were, the same person. So that was Bruce's final order. To say he was on vacation, then crash the plane. It gives over a weeks difference for anyone who wonders why Batman is never going to be seen again after Bruce Wayne dies.  
  
That cover up is to protect us. If anyone learned he was Batman it wouldn't take long to figure out that I was the first Robin, am now Nightwing, and that Tim is the current Robin. Bruce made this plan of how to "separate" the two deaths to protect us.  
  
I'm dreading the second funeral as much as the first. Batman's was two days ago. Bruce's won't be for a few more days.  
  
I try to . . . describe, define, what I've lost. Who I've lost. My father, my mentor, my friend, my . . .hero. And Bruce was my hero. In a lot of ways I didn't want to be like him. He gave orders and I rebelled. Isn't that how it goes with fathers and sons? He had his faults, and we had our fights. But that doesn't mean I didn't admire him more than anyone else on this planet. If it hadn't been for him I would have ended up like him. He was able to save me from that, as he hadn't been able to save himself.  
  
I can't even list all the things I've learned from him. All the things he's taught me over the years. Intentionally or otherwise. And it goes so much further than just teaching me how to fight. How to be a detective. He taught me to live, to care, again after my parents died. He taught me what sacrifice means. He sacrificed so much to help others. He sacrificed his own life. And I'm not talking about his death. I'm talking about his entire life. A life spent helping others, as both Batman and Bruce Wayne.  
  
I'm moving back to the mansion. Can't believe it's mine now. I mean, I knew Bruce made me his legal heir, but. . . well, I never thought this day would come. Tim is now *my* ward, until he turns 21. I feel bad for him. He's now lost two fathers. I feel bad for Alfred. I lost my father, but he lost his son. Parents shouldn't have to bury their children. And he did love Bruce as if he were his own son. I don't think Bruce would have survived his parents death without Alfred, just like I wouldn't have survived my parents deaths with out Alfred and Bruce.  
  
I . . . fell bad . . . for me. And bad doesn't even begin to cover it. I just can't deal with more than bad right now.  
  
LUCIUS FOX  
  
It's hard to believe Bruce is gone. Even worse is the fact that a lot of the mourners here at his funeral are sorry for themselves, not for him. The woman are sorry they will never get to be Mrs. Bruce Wayne. Others because they worry they'll no longer reap the benefits of his generosity. And Bruce was generous. Very, very generous. Only a few people know exactly how much money Wayne Foundation gave away, and how much of it was from Bruce's own personal accounts.  
  
Most think that he was a shallow playboy. And so did I, most of the time. Then Bruce would walk into my office with a plan for some brilliant business deal, or the idea for some invention, and I would be reminded what a sharp mind he had when he choose to use it. I'll always wonder what good he could have done if he'd used that amazing mind of his more often. I guess now I'll never know. . .  
  
TIMOTHY DRAKE  
  
I'm at my second funeral in two weeks. And the really strange thing is that they are both for the same person. Well, sort of. There were times that even I almost thought that Bruce Wayne and Batman were different men. The two were just so different. Bruce, the shallow playboy who didn't really care about anything. Batman, deep, intense and driven. Who cared more about people than anyone else I've ever met. He cared about strangers. Risked his own life to keep them safe. There a quote in the Bible about how the greatest love is the willingness to lay down your life for someone. Batman was willing to do that every night he went out on patrol.  
  
Like I was saying, this is the second funeral. Batman's was almost two weeks ago. Now I'm at Bruce's. Dick and Alfred are beside me. And a lot of people who think they knew Bruce Wayne are here. They didn't know him. Only a few people did and I feel privileged to be one of them. When I first found out who he was I never thought he'd take me in. Not like he did. I thought maybe he'd take me as a student and train me. Let me work with him. I never thought that he'd give me a home, and all the things his money can provide.  
  
Dick is here for a while. Moved back from Bludhaven. He's my legal guardian now. Don't get me wrong, I like him, look up to him. In some ways I consider him a big brother. But I just can't imagine Wayne Manor without Bruce Wayne. Or the Batcave with out Batman. It just doesn't fit. I think I'm going to be spending a lot of time at Titan Tower. Away from here. Away from the memories. I think Dick will understand.  
  
I hear Alfred may be going back to England. Bruce left him more than enough money to ensure he never needs to even think about work again. And just like I want to get away I understand why he would too. Hiro's going back to stay here, work with Nightwing.  
  
Funny. When Hiro asked me about the job I told him that the good parts were an unlimited budget, and getting to work with Batman. When he asked about the catch I told him it was having to work with Batman. I was telling the truth both times. But right now I'd give anything to hear one of Batman's lectures, or to be getting one of his "tough love" lessons.  
  
TALIA  
  
Part of me hates myself. But that's better than having my Beloved hate me. I could have taken him to the Lazarus pit and saved him. But he would not have wanted that. He would have hated me for it. And I could never let him hate me. I would not be able to bear it. So I let them bury him in the ground. It's what he would have wanted. And Batman has. . . had, a way of getting what he wanted. I know he would not want me to hate myself. But no one, not even him, my Beloved, can always get what he wants. It is time to leave. To mourn in solitude. I think I will go back to the desert. Good bye, Beloved.  
  
JOKER  
  
This latest joke really isn't funny. Not funny at all. They're saying Batman is dead. I want to check the calender. It must be April Fool's Day. Yes, it's April Fools and this is the guards April Fools joke on us. That's it, it's a bad joke. Just a joke. Because Batman can't be dead.  
  
RIDDLER  
  
Ahh. We now have the greatest riddle of all. Is the Batman really dead. And if he is, who killed him? How did he die? The guards aren't saying, and no one in here knows. It certainly wasn't one of us. We're all in here at the moment. Unusual, but it can happen for very brief periods of time. That means that Batman was killed by a regular criminal. Or in an accident. But I've never known Batman to have any sort of accident. He's much to careful, and plans to well, for that. But I've never known any common criminal to come close to killing him either. So the riddle remains unsolved. Is Batman really dead? 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for the kind reviews. Since you guys requested more characters POV's here you go. I think I covered everyone mentioned in the reviews. If not, I'm sorry. Let me know who I've missed and I'll work on a third chapter, if you want. Sorry this second chapter took so long. The first chapter POV's went in chronological order. Sicne I added these later they don't the order and timing are pretty random.  
  
OFFICER WESTON - - - GCPD  
  
I never thought that I'd be here. Here, standing guard over Batman's coffin. The Commissioner threatened us with all sorts of stuff if we tried to look under his mask, or let anyone else look under his mask. I can't say that I'm not tempted, who wouldn't be? Batman's identity is Gotham City's biggest mystery. But I wouldn't look even without the threats.  
  
Some of the guys resent Batman. They take it as a personal insult that Gotham City needs a Batman, and make no mistake, Gotham needs Batman. I really don't know what's going to happen now. Well, in part I do. I know that Joker, or Poison Ivy or Harvey Dent, or any other the others will once again break out of Arkum. More than one of them will. It's how we're going to deal with that, that I don't know.  
  
We've never had to face them without Batman to help. I don't know if we can face them without his help. I know we couldn't have dealt with Scarecrow without him. He's the one who came up with the antidote to the Fear Gas. The Scarecrow would have had us all without that antidote. I mean, none of us are cowards, cowards don't last in the GCPD, but that fear gas . . . And that's just one example. A lot of the Riddlers mysteries only Batman has been able to solve.  
  
I hate to admit it, but I'm scared. Scared of Gotham without Batman.  
  
SELENA KYLE  
  
I'm out here hunting the night, but it doesn't have the same excitement and joy it used to. No longer do I need worry that Batman will show up and ruin one of my plans. But it's been a long time since that happened anyway. But I no longer have the thrill of wondering if he'll suddenly appear at my side, or the joy of sharing a hunt together.  
  
I crossed the line to the side of the angels for my own reasons. I did. But once I was there he was a large part of the reason I stayed. I found that I much preferred working with him, not against him. He makes a very bad enemy, not merciless, but certainly relentless. He makes a perfect ally. Strong, intelligent, capable, and loyal. The same things that make him the perfect mate.  
  
He and Superman were each others opposites, they balanced each other. But Batman and I were each other's compliments. We both loved the night. We both were willing to do whatever it took. We were both loners who reluctantly learned that we need others.  
  
I will still hunt the night, but the night will never be the same again.  
  
BETH HERRING - - - GOTHAM CITIZEN  
  
The funeral will start soon. And this isn't just any funeral. It's Batman's funeral. We're all here to honor him, but also to see it for ourselves. To see that Batman really is dead. None of us ever thought he could die. Not Batman.  
  
It was a little over a year ago that he saved me. I was attacked, and the guy was gonna rape me. One second he's on top of me, telling me what he's going to do to me, the next he's gone. I saw a dark figure holding the guy, and then realized it must be Batman. I've never been more glad to see anyone.  
  
I couldn't hear the quiet words Batman said to the guy, I don't think I want to. A hardened criminal, who seconds ago had seemed totally in control and threatening, was reduced to a scared, cowering, little boy.  
  
Batman tied the guy up and stayed for a few minutes until the police got there. He didn't really say anything to me, except to ask if I'd been hurt and needed medical help. But just having him there I felt safe, protected. He just vanished into the air when the police car pulled up.  
  
I've never seen him again, but I'll never forget him.  
  
BARBRA GORDAN  
  
Bruce and I have had our problems. But I still admire and respect him. I don't blame him for the Joker shooting me and paralyzing me. I blame the Joker for that. Besides, Bruce paid for all my medical expenses. To this day he has doctors working on a way to heal me, so that I can walk again, so I can once again fly with Robin, well, Nightwing now, but you get what I mean.  
  
This was one time when I hated, I mean really hated, being Oracle. It was my job to call everyone and tell them what had happened. It wasn't easy. I've called them to give them bad news before, but this. . . This was beyond bad.  
  
I feel for Dick. And for Tim. They aren't letting it show in public, but this hit them hard. And for my Dad, he's lost his best friend. Clark did his usual "Man of Steel" routine when I told him. Diana, Wonder Woman, went back to Paradise Island to grieve. She'll return for the funeral. Everyone else also reacted about like you'd expect. I think most of them wish that it had been some super-villain that had killed him, then they'd have someone to go after. Instead it was a street punk, and no one got a good description of him. There's nothing they can do to avenge his death, and that is hard for these men, and women, of action.  
  
I don't always like that I'm now the one sitting and observing everything, unable to act, but at least it's something I'm used to. What I'm not used to is the empty feeling in my heart. Batman, Bruce, was bigger than life to me, to Dick too, it's something we had in common. Anyway, since he was bigger than life, the hole his death has left in my heart is also bigger than one might expect.  
  
Knowing he was there was a comfort, one I now realize I took for granted. As Oracle I see a lot of horrible things happen. But I always knew that Bruce was there. That he would do everything humanly possible, and sometimes what seemed like more than humanly possible, to fix the horrible things I saw. I knew he would find a way to make them better. I don't have that comfort anymore.  
  
LEX LUTHOR  
  
Bruce Wayne is dead. Part of me is glad of that. He's one of the few men in the country who was powerful enough to be a real threat to me. I'm not talking the kind of threat Superman is. I'm talking a threat in the worlds of politics and business.  
  
Of course, that all changed not long ago. Wayne did buy LexCorps Towers. Batman was the one who told me that, but he's now dead anyway. The only interest The Bat ever had for me was that he and Superman were friends. But there was some kind of link between the two. Batman was more than a little obsessed with the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne. Maybe Bruce paid for the Batman's stuff in return for him focusing on that crime.  
  
I'd almost believe Bruce Wayne was Batman, if I had met Bruce. He has no concept of the will power and determination that Batman must possess. Bruce isn't stupid, I don't care what some of the press say. You can't be stupid and run the Wayne financial empire the way Bruce did. Most attribute that to Lucious Fox, and I'm sure he deserves much of the credit, but Wayne wasn't an idiot. There was also the way he "just happened" to meet the most important and powerful political figures and make them his friends. Still, even giving him that, there is no chance that that superficial fool is Batman.  
  
I had planned to get my revenge on Wayne, and Batman, for their parts in bringing me down, now I'll have the chance. But at least Superman won't have The Bat there to help him when I let him now I did survive the collapse of LexCorps Towers, and renew my war against him. Not having his partner Batman will make him much more vulnerable.  
  
KILLER CROC  
  
Batman's dead. I guess that should mean something to me. I guess it does. IT means my life will be a lot easier. No one but Batman was ever really a challenge for me. I'd win every fight. Yeah, that fun, but it's also boring. I love a challenge and Batman was a challenge.  
  
In the end, I guess most would say I won, since I'm still alive. But I'd say it was a draw. He did damage on me. I did my share of damage to him. If I'm honest, which is rare, I have to admit he did the most damage, but his death evens us out.  
  
I don't think I'll ever find another opponent to match him. No, scratch that. I know I'll never find another opponent to match him.  
  
BANE  
  
Someone finally finished the job I started. The job of killing Batman. I broke his back and thought I broke him. I was wrong. He came back stronger than before. More dangerous than before. But this time he won't be coming back. Not even Batman can come back from the dead.  
  
Of course, if I ever get my hands on the punk who killed him, I'll kill them. They took away the honor that was supposed to be mine. The honor of being the one to finally beat Batman.  
  
LOIS LANE KENT  
  
I can't believe I'm here at Bruce's funeral. When I first met Bruce Clark was still just a friend and I became totally infatuated with Bruce. Eventually I got over it. I figured out that Bruce was Batman a long time before Clark admitted it to me. I'm an investigative reporter, after all. I noticed that Batman's appearances in Metropolis coincided with Bruce's trips to Metropolis. Since Bruce and Batman were also both from Gotham it made sense.  
  
Then I looked up a psychologist's report on Batman's likely psychological profile. Once I had that I did some research into Bruce's past. The murder of his parents fit perfectly with the profile. Then there was the fact that all Batman's "toys" are beyond cutting edge, and would cost a great deal of money. Again, Bruce would have the money and resources necessary. Anyway, the point is that I figured it out.  
  
When we got the news, Clark was stunned. So was I. So was the world, I think. For a long time Batman was known only in Gotham. Then the JLA came into being and the world learned of him.  
  
Yes, I'm dwelling on facts and details. As a reporter it's what I do. It's also the only way I know to distract myself from the grief and pain I feel. Right now I can't let myself break down. Clark is hurting worse than I am, so I have to keep it together for him. I'll do my own grieving later.  
  
RA'S AU GUL  
  
All my hopes for the future died today. Batman was to be my successor, whether he liked and accepted that or not. My daughter loved him. I respected him. My men feared him. He would have been the perfect heir for me. But that can not longer be. I wanted to take him to a Lazerus Pit. But I didn't. I left that choice to my daughter, and she choose not to revive him that way. His death is a great loss to me, me Talia, and to the world. 


End file.
